singlecoiled
Active member
Maybe I am funny after all. Now you funny too.... (George thouroghgood) Bad to the bone ! BBBB Bad !
Sorry, this is what Master Kush does to me, maybe I shouldnt post on forums while partaking.
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My gardening drills, the easy way....and a Help Desk if you're "needy" LOL. Questions? Fire away, I'm here to help.
- Thread starter Old Uncle Ben
- Start date
Maybe I am funny after all. Now you funny too.... (George thouroghgood) Bad to the bone ! BBBB Bad !
Sorry, this is what Master Kush does to me, maybe I shouldnt post on forums while partaking.
Old Uncle Ben
Well-known member
I have used the same growing method for 50 years, in or out. I am no master gardener so I practice a simple system of blood meal, bone meal, kelp, greensand, rock dust etc. depending on what is available, oh, can't forget dolomite. I also use a cal/mag during bloom. I only fertilize twice during bloom, using between 1-1/12tbsp of organics per 5 gal ctn. I never do anything about the PH, it seems steady. Mostly the plant decides what it wants out of the soil. Sometimes in bloom I use less fertilizer but use it more often. I'm not sure which is best or if there is any real difference.
I have to keep things simple or my aged brain mixes things up and then I waste time and money. I prefer my own handiwork. Imperfect as it is, it works for me.
singlecoiled
Active member
50 years, wow. I'm just a year or two in and cant come close to that many years of experience growing. Very cool. I hear you about keeping things simple, I'm in the same boat. When you use too many things, there are too many things that can go wrong. AND its a hassle troubleshooting when all of the variables become overly complex. Thats why I'm loving using Foliage Pro for my entire grow. One bottle, nice and simple covers all the plants needs.
Its cool to hear about your organic approach to growing and making soil. I do have a pet rabbit and mixed around 4 cups of rabbit manure into my Fox Farm Coco Loco. So far so good. I alse have Dolomite lime, but dont use it much --- Ive heard the balance of Mag to Calcium can be tricky and as I said earlier, I'm trying to keep everything really simple so that I can troubleshoot later. Basically, using more or less Foliage Pro is about all I do. ( I do use Protekt silica which is a replacement for PH up and down.) I do PH my feed and monitor the runoff but thats mainly because I'm a newbie stabbing in the dark when things go wrong. I like to know the PH is close to where it should be...
singlecoiled
Active member
My plant using Bloom Nutrients: (previous grow) It went downhill fast after this..
My plant on Foliage Pro only... (current grow)... Too green? A little bit of a claw on the leaf tips, but no signs of nutrient burn. Listening to Uncle Ben, I'm not going to worry about it, other than that I'm pleased with the way this is coming along...
Thanks Uncle Ben !
and a Help Desk if you're "needy" LOL---
I think you can put me on the needy list.. (my apologies for over posting on your thread)
5-6 weeks to go....
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Old Uncle Ben
Well-known member
It's about finding what works for you. Maybe I could pick up a extra grams by maximizing my grow potential but at what cost to my present system that keeps me supplied and content. I'm happy with my results and I know how it plays out.
I am content with my system it may not be perfect but I know it and know what to expect. It's important to know what to expect and when to expect it, when a system works for you that's what you get. Your plant looks healthy, some love their crops to death.
Is your rabbit an outdoor pen rabbit or does it come indoors/live indoors? In a previous time we had some bunnies and would bring one of them in, it would use the kitty box, mostly.
I use to have friend that liked to eat rabbit I could never tell what he was thinking when looking at the pet rabbit. When you get old friends pass away, I'll forgive him for licking his lips.
singlecoiled
Active member
Nice, I'm still trying to dial mine in and find out what works for me. Everything seems to have pros and cons. Soils used, Fox Farm Ocean Forest, Happy Frog, and now Coco Loco. Happy frog is my favorite so far (minus all the gnats and god knows what else)...
Sounds like your dialed in nicely, I'll get there someday. Its all experimentation for now.
She is an indoor pet trained to use a little box just like a cat. They are very clean animals and never pee or poop in the house. Mine jumps on the couch with me and nudges my hand over her head to get pet. Not many people know, but bunnies purr when you pet them just right. They are very cute pets, very different when they live in yourr house vs a hutch. We've had four rabbits as pets, all house trained. They also produce really good fertilizer as well. They are poop machines ! (although maybe a little too high in N?)
Ive tried rabbit, tastes like sucky chicken if you ask me, I'd rather just have chicken. Also, having one as a pet makes eating rabbit seem like eating a dog or cat... I know, its not the same thing, or is it?
When I was young I hunted rabbit and bird. Those days are long gone, I will no longer hunt but I am not put off by people who do. I use to make rabbit stew, I never did find it very palatable.
Eating a pet like animal, no I won't go there. I raised a small flock of chickens for eggs and could not bring myself to eat them. I do not like the smell of cleaning an animal.
I like Fox Farm Ocean Forest but it is not available where I live. I am now looking at a soil product called BlueSky Organics. I would have to travel to get it. I used it once and was happy with the results. The grow shop that I use to buy from closed down in November, which is where I bought the BlueSky Organics, they said they would no longer sell it because it had all the needed nutrients and they could not up sell.
Composting manure is a good practice probably bunny poop as well. I have no doubt that some would use it as a tea.
Old Uncle Ben
Well-known member
I have a big compost pile going now mostly leaves from trees I planted in 2005 and on. Drove three 6' t-posts in the ground, wrapped with chicken wire.
Was a hay field, custom built my dream home, planted 65 trees around the house and down at the highway, oaks, Big Tooth maples, fruit and nut trees, huge cypress for windbreaks, etc. Started 2 ag businesses.
Planted one of my favorite old hybrid tea roses yesterday, Double Delight. No 2 flowers are the same regarding markings, had an old timey rich spicy fragrance.
Was a hay field, custom built my dream home, planted 65 trees around the house and down at the highway, oaks, Big Tooth maples, fruit and nut trees, huge cypress for windbreaks, etc. Started 2 ag businesses.
Planted one of my favorite old hybrid tea roses yesterday, Double Delight. No 2 flowers are the same regarding markings, had an old timey rich spicy fragrance.
singlecoiled
Active member
I had terrible luck with ocean forest here on the east coast of the US. Maybe I got a bad batch, but after watering the soil it smelled like a pig farm, it was horrible. The people at the nursery I bought it from tried to warn me but I didnt listen. I moved to Happy Frog and it was much better, (except all the fungus gnats--) I boil all of my soil and bake it now. I also have BTI on hand to stop gnats.
I added around 3 cups of crushed rabbit manure to my soil and let it sit for around 6 months in a bin before using. Interesting thing about rabbit manure is that it crushes up and looks a lot like dark soil without any odor. I'm not sure the manure was a good idea, but I thought I'd experiment.
singlecoiled
Active member
Nice ! Growing weed makes you nice and healthy, something people never think of. For me its more of a mental workout, reading and learning. I wont be out in the field tilling any soil with my small cabinet grow, but I'm sure its still good for me. My garden is 16 " x 16"...
Old Uncle Ben
Well-known member
No offense but I have to laugh as to how worked up folks get over soils. I just throw a lot of stuff together which includes reused potting soils, and let 'er rip. One of the best is Berger BM-7 but the damn stuff has tripled in price thanks to inflation over the last 3 years.
Have you done a soil test on your finished product? I highly recommend Ward Labs if you're in the states.
BM-7
Hard to beat a mix of 75% pine bark fines and 25% of vermiculite. It's what my nursery friends use. Cheap too. You'll need a complete food though and it should be a high N food. The microbes that are feeding and breaking down your organics will need their share of N too, a consideration few do.
Uncle Ben
singlecoiled
Active member
Remember, not all of us have tractors, farms and pine trees, I live in the city, we dont even have dirt. So, I'm stuck buying my soil premade for now.
With this in mind, all of the soil I have purchased by recommendation of fellow growers has been very different. Ocean Forest was a cesspool of filth and disease. (I swear somone buried a body in my Ocean Forest)... Happy Frog was decent, but loaded with bugs. Coco Loco is in a different world holding water for many days while remaining fluffy and airy. (Coco mix)... I'm just trying to find a soil that meets my needs. Good drainage, aeration, with the ability to water heavily without turning into mud..
Listen man, Ive been playing guitar for over 40 years now. I go to forums where the newbies buy guitars, Mod them, add LOCKING TUNERS, change the pickups and string guages obssesively... They HAVE to do all this stuff. I try to tell them that locking tuners serve no purpose (they dont) but they dont listen...They tune in to all the electronics, bells and whistles, but nothing to do with actual music. I tell them to take guitar lessons, they spend 100's of hours researching the difference guitar cables make in tone. Meanwwhile, they dont know the Major scale....
I just buy a good guitar and f ing play it. But Ive only been playing 40 years, what do I know?
So, Uncle Ben I know where your coming from, youve been doing this a long time... I'm still a new grower sifting through all the BS but I am listening.....Pleae keep this in mind ! There is a LOT of contradiction in this hobby.... Please go read any Marijuana grow book, Ive read at least 20 of them.... ALL of them say to stop giving N in flower and use bloom nutrient (locking tuners)---You really cant blame us newbies with all the BS out there. Side note: I am still feeding only Foliage Pro-- So I am listening ! (and my plants look the best they ever have)
I think its time for YOU to write a book... Come on man ! I'd be first in line to buy it...
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plutiot
Active member
Cool im saving this thread, im very here, but just added a couple threads about my d.i.y close stealth grow, would love to have someone like you, following my progress, last time i grew i didnt have the luxury to discuss my project, so this time i can hone my skills a bit, ill read the rest when i have time, added a few shots of my 2019 bud, and just now the closet
Speaking of gnats I just had one fly by my monitor, they seem to like the light of the screen. Gnats are one of those pesky things that just seem natural to my area. They are a big problem so I have to take precautions like keeping the room door closed when I need to access the tent, sticky traps around the houseplants and in my multi-purpose room where my tent is. I just managed to knock of a bunch of gnats in the houseplants using peroxide. The mild winter we are having seems to be agreeable to those damn gnats. I had them so bad one time in my tent I was using the vacuum cleaner to suck them up. I can't say for sure that I have ever seen them come from Fox Farm but I have heard many people say this. Well, no more Fox Farm in my area but I have another product I am interested in. There is a company called Growers Supply in the next city over who is cannabis friendly but they only sell in bulk by the yard. I don't think the Subaru Impreza would like hauling dirt by the yard(including the spouse) and I can't help but believe dirt by the yard wouldn't contain unwanted critters.
I don't believe I've ever had a problem with insects in earth worm castings, that's the only manure I use.
singlecoiled
Active member
OK, so I'm in the same place you are. They get into my house as well and love my computer monitor in the dark. My grow room is sealed but every once in a while I see a gnat make its way in... Luckily, this pest is very easy to get rid of.. Pic below, its a must have if you ask me and it works. My fly traps in my grow closet show zero fungus gnats this grow.. I make a tea with BTI and use it when repotting... (directions on how to make the tea come on the bag.)
I wouldnt bother growing indoors if it wasnt for BTI...Its non toxic, wont effect your plant and is safe to use in all stages of growth. A MUST have for me. (before BTI I could see the larvae crawling around in the soil--little clear worms with a black head.)
Root Aphids are another story, thats pure hell. (flies look very similar to gnats and they are very common) If the flies around your monitor are easy to "clap" and kill thats a good sign. If they dodge when you try to whack them, thats a sign they may be aphid flyers...
Last thing, Fox Farm and most soil I buy is loaded with fungus gnats, almost guaranteed. You sure the flies in your house arent coming from your soil? Its so bad I boil and bake my soil before use... Killing all the good stuff I pay for along with the pests.
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Old Uncle Ben
Well-known member
You're on the right track. Learn to read your plants and you'll be fine. Also, in the old days I kept a journal. Only keep for the greenhouse activities.
So cool you play guitar! FWIW I saw Jimi Hendrix in '68. They don't make them like that anymore. Recently saw Joe Satriani. Check out Al DiMeola. Old stuff but unreal.
Thanks for the kudos but at my age there's no way I'd write a book! Got too many irons in the fire as it is.
Grow hard,
Uncle Ben
singlecoiled
Active member
Sadly, 90% of the guitarists playing today tune into the gear, not learning how to play music. (know of any similar hobbies?) I could go on and on but I know I type too much and am trying hard to reduce my bloat.
That's an AMAZING thing to have actually seen Jimi back in 68. I was a fan of Satriani back in the 80's with surfing with the alien, but moved on to other musical interests. Yes, I own many Al Dimeola albums, (I collect vinyl too) He has an album called Cielo e Terra that I really like. Cool to see a non guitarist that appreciates good guitar music !
Gotta wonder what strain you were smoking for the Hendrix concert... Ohh wait, we didnt know about strains back then did we?
Just an interesting fact about my name here, Jimi Hendrix played "singlecoiled guitars"... A left handed Fender Strat. I love the tone of a single coiled guitar.
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Old Uncle Ben
Well-known member
Went to Hendrix straight, I think. Also Cream, went to that one straight. Profound!
Cool story on his guitar. Also kinda shocked your hip with DiMeola. His mastery is one thing, his crazy time changes on the quick is another. Yes, some of this melodies are beautiful. Another one of my faves is Ottmart Liebert. Being listening to him forever. Kind of getting off track, but it's fun.
